DJDS Receives Its First Ever Student Teacher From DU

Ever since watching Lord of the Rings for the first time, Sam Fenster knew he wanted to pursue history. This year, DJDS welcomed Fenster as their first-ever student teacher. 

Fenster, a 27-year-old from Cleveland, Ohio, is currently a student at the Morgridge College of Education at the University of Denver. He first earned his undergraduate degree in history and religious studies from Rhodes College in Tennessee. From then on, he knew he wanted to pursue a career in education, later earning his first master's degree at The Ashkenazium School for Jewish Studies at Milton Friedman University in Budapest, Hungary. 

“I always wanted to teach,” he said. Fenster decided to go to Hungary as it was an affordable option, but also to feel better connected to the history of Ashkenazi Jewry. “In Budapest, I was walking distance from Herzl's birthplace and the entrance to the Budapest Ghetto. It felt very local, very present,” he said. 

Currently, Fenster is a teaching assistant for all classes taught by Brian Welling, social studies department chair. He comes to DJDS from Tuesday to Friday and leads two Wednesday clubs, Dungeons & Dragons and Magic: The Gathering.

“Mr. Fenster is a wealth of historic information and an asset to my class,” Welling said. “I’ve been impressed with his progress in instruction and grateful that he chose to student teach at DJDS.” 

While Fenster always knew he wanted to be a teacher, while in Hungary, he realized he was going down the wrong career path- not with education itself but with the level that he was teaching. 

When first going into education, Fenster wanted to teach at a collegiate level; however, as time went on, he realized that high school was where he thrived. “I mesh well with high schoolers,” he said. 

As a Jew himself, he knew DJDS would be a place where he could connect with students. “I thought it [DJDS] would be familiar territory for me,” he said. “I would be better suited to connect with students.” 

While at the moment, DJDS isn’t looking to bring on any new social studies teachers, Fenster would love to return to DJDS as a full-time teacher. “It seems like a very good placement,” he said. 

As he continues his student teaching program, DJDS students enjoy having him around. “He seems to be very intelligent and is good at answering questions right off the bat,” said Julie Steiner, a sophomore. 

When he’s not in the classroom, Fenster stays active through rock climbing and boxing, having competed in seven amateur matches during college. 

“I really love history. I love getting to show up every day and talk about my favorite thing,” Fenster said. “I want people who can enjoy it to be equipped with the tools to enjoy it.”